Blochers want to buy Basler Zeitung real estate

In addition to the article, Sonntag also published the entry in the Basel-Stadt commercial register of Robestate on October 3: At the time of its founding, Robestate had 10 million francs in fully paid-up equity capital; its president is Christoph Blocher. It is domiciled in Basel with the lawyer Karl Schweizer, SVP councillor in Riehen BS. According to the notification to the commercial register, Robestate intends to take over two properties: the parts of the representative building with the editorial office at Aeschenplatz belonging to the Basler Zeitung (Baz) and the printing and publishing complex at Hochbergerstrasse 15 and 17. The mortgages are not to be taken over; the price is based on an estimate by Credit Suisse. The Basler Zeitung is in economic difficulties - because of problems typical of the industry such as Internet competition, but also because of its own decisions. The newspaper and printing plant belong to Baz-Holding, which in turn is part of Medien-Vielfalt Holding under Tito Tettamanti (53.6 percent of the voting rights).

Reduce debt burden

As Baz Board Chairman Filippo Leutenegger told the news agency sda on Monday, the real estate deal with Blocher is planned but not yet finalized. In particular, procedural and tax issues still need to be clarified; no date has been set. For Baz, this real estate sale would be "a great relief". The buildings account for a large part of the debts; for example, an entire floor of the publishing building is currently empty. Former Federal Councilor Blocher was only a buyer; his involvement in Baz companies was not intended with this deal, Leutenegger continued. In May, the Basel newspaper group had reported a consolidated loss of eight million francs on sales of 203.8 million francs. The loss was explained by a provision for the pension fund; the operating result had been balanced in 2011.

Blocher fears and loss of confidence

The Hagemann publishing family had sold the struggling newspaper and printing group to Tito Tettamanti in February 2010, with lawyer Martin Wagner acting as the new publisher. Since the latter appointed Blocher biographer Markus Somm as editor-in-chief of Baz in August 2010, SVP patron Blocher is suspected of being the string puller. In November 2010, Tettamanti sold the company to the former Crossair patron Moritz Suter. A good year later, Suter gave up in frustration and returned his shares to Rahel Blocher - in the process, Blocher's co-ownership became public knowledge. Rahel Blocher sold on to Tito Tettamanti's holding company in the same month. SVP strategist and billionaire Christoph Blocher appeared as a financier for the first time in this deal, with a deficit guarantee. Blocher explained in the Sonntagszeitung at the time that he had kept the Baz as one of the last independent newspapers in the country, but had wanted to spare it anti-Blocher reflexes with discretion. That didn't work out. Somm's SVP-affiliated line, as well as the turmoil over veiled ownership and Blocher influence, has cost the paper thousands of subscribers. In addition, new competition has emerged since then with the Tageswoche newspaper; moreover, the Basellandschaftliche Zeitung and its sister Sonntag successively expanded their presence. (SDA)